


With Feathers Dyed Red

by Resilur



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Wingfic, injured wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23010040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resilur/pseuds/Resilur
Summary: She waits, alone in her prison, completely cut off from the world. But there is still one will never abandon her, and will do whatever is needed to stay by her side.
Relationships: Lady who turns into a hawk/Lady locked in a tower (OW)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11
Collections: Writing Rainbow Red





	With Feathers Dyed Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadaras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/gifts).



The tap at the window was quiet, barely a breath of noise, yet it grabbed her attention instantly.

Lady Shanye was completely alone in her prison spire, surrounded by the void; she was used to hearing no sounds but those she made herself. Abandoning her desk and the arcane circuitry she had been mapping, she moved swiftly to unlatch the window – allowed only because it was far too small for her to fit through.

Her eager, welcoming smile turned to a cry of dismay as a hawk tumbled gracelessly in. Shanye barely managed to catch her before she struck the floor; she sank to her knees, cradling the injured hawk in the lap of her gown.

“Oh, _Kest_ ,” she whispered, and her voice nearly broke under the weight of her sorrow. “Oh, what happened to you?”

The hawk turned her head aside, not meeting Shanye’s gaze. Shanye reached gently for the crookedly splayed, limp wing, wincing in sympathy as she felt the blood-matted feathers.

After a moment, Kest twitched her wing away. She didn’t flinch or give any other sign of discomfort, though Shanye worried that it more likely out of sheer stubbornness than a true lack of pain.

Drawing in a steadying breath, she carefully lifted Kest from her lap so she could stand. She settled her into the bundled nest of blankets on her bed, hoping it would help her support herself comfortably.

“Wait here, I’ll help clean that and check it over before you change back.”

“You don’t have to –” Kest protested. Her voice was both rough and shrill, and cracked oddly; she rarely spoke in this form.

“I want to,” Shanye interrupted firmly.

She returned with a heated bowl and cloth. Dampening it, she delicately began washing it over and through the dirty, mangled feathers of her love’s wing. Slowly, Kest began to relax under her touch, the warm water helping to soothe her sores and stiffness. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to as bad Shanye had first feared, when Kest had fallen into her arms.

The worst part was, Shanye knew with absolute certainty that Kest had taken this hurt for her sake, and knew just as much that Kest would never be willing to say such. Even at times like this, she never seemed to feel fully comfortable letting Shanye do things for her, due both to pride and their former respective stations.

She had never once wavered in her loyalty, even after the fall of all they’d worked for. She could easily fly free, and yet she chained herself willingly to her lady, sharing a fate she never should have been burdened with. It made Shanye’s heart ache, but Kest would never speak of the sacrifices she made for her sake.

“…Is there a reason you haven’t changed back, yet?” she asked softly, gently stroking the hawk’s head.

“I’m grateful you came, and simply happy for you to be here, but…” But she yearned to lay beside her, to see the face of her beloved that she’d known for so many years.

Kest shifted uncomfortably, making Shanye immediately regret asking. Before she could say another word, though, Kest’s shape had already begun to blur.

Shanye did not know the details of how Kest had gained her ability (though in a way, Kest’s silence on the matter said more than enough). It was rather like looking at extremely different images with each eye at once, if one had several eyes and said images were in constant motion. It was as if her mind simply rejected any attempt at comprehension – everything about Kest’s appearance was just suddenly indeterminate, with even the obviously necessary change in size impossible to actually see.

And so when the inscrutable shape came finally back into focus, Shanye was shocked to see that the wings had not disappeared.

Kest had her face turned away, eyes down. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her voice was less inhuman than it had been in her hawk form, but still rougher than Shanye had ever heard from her human lips. “I… don’t seem to be able to fully change back, anymore.”

She made as if to rise from the bed, but Shanye stopped her, cupping her cheek and finally getting her to meet her gaze.

“Don’t, please.” Shanye smiled softly. “Don’t apologize.” Ever so gently, she began carding her fingers through the reddish-brown feathers. “They’re lovely.”

Slowly, Kest began to relax once again under her touch.


End file.
